3/30: Thoughts from the week

-When I kiss Liv on the cheek, she turns her face towards me and licks my cheek. Her version of a kiss, I guess 🙂

-She also started to realize that everyone loves it when she smiles… so she smiles, mouth wide open, all the time. It’s the best thing ever. Sometimes she’ll wake up from a catnap and I’ll go over to see if she’ll go back to sleep. I’ll put my hand on her chest and stand there with my eyes closed, so she knows I’m there, and sometimes goes right back to sleep. The rest of the time, she keeps giving me huge smiles until I start laughing and pick her up.

-Night weeks are definitely tough over here since Tom gets home in the middle of the night, but when he’s home, he’s home. It’s like he puts on his “Dad hat” the second he walks in the door, and I’ve mushed about him before, but he takes such great care of us girls. Livi is crazy about him too.. but not his mustache 😉

Usually by Friday, I’m pretty exhausted from the week’s events. Last night was a little more exciting because I came downstairs to pump after our 3am feeding, since Livi didn’t eat as long as she usually does. Livi slept great and was ready to go at 6:45, but I was moving a little slowly. After I fed her when she woke up, Tom told me I could go back to sleep and he’d watch her while he got ready for work. No Friday cranky pants over here- the catnap changed my world.

-Growing up, my brothers and I always got swimsuits, sandals and a movie in our Easter baskets. I’m excited to continue the tradition with Liv 🙂

MY OTHER VIDEOS

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-Planning fail. Our nursery is in the loft, which is attached to the master bedroom.

It also overlooks the formal living room and we have very tall windows.. with lots of sunlight streaming in. It’s been really convenient to have the nursery next to us (even though she’s still sleeping in the bassinet, but is going to be too big for it very soon), but we’re wondering if the sunlight is going to affect her sleep schedule. In the summer, the sun goes down extremely late and rises extremely early.. and mama’s not much of a morning person 😉

-I finally figured out the workout sports bra debacle: Power Y tank with a Champion sports bra over it (from Target)- under the tank doesn’t quite work as well- with whatever shirt I’m wearing over that. Supportive tank, bra, shirt/tank. I love the Power Ys, but any tank with a supportive built-in shelf bra should do the trick.

-The dark line down my stomach is almost gone (hooray!) but the sad face bellybutton remains. It just looks disappointed now, instead of a full-out scowl, so I’ll call it a win 🙂

-I first heard this song on the way home from yoga, the first time I left the house by myself after Livi was born. My hormones were still running amuck so I cried, but I probably would have cried anyway from hearing the lyrics.

I kind of let onto this on the the blog, but during my pregnancy, I was cautiously optimistic. I was so excited, so happy, and so scared to death that something might happen. I’ve heard so many heartbreaking stories, and while I tried not to think about it, it was hard not to. It sounds weird to say, but it was almost like I was afraid of really bonding with her until I knew she was here safely. That didn’t mean I didn’t try to –I still sang and read to her, talked to her and rubbed my belly all the time- but I couldn’t help all of the “what-ifs” that were running through my brain. Now that she’s actually here, it’s a different type of worry, but I’m still amazed by the fact that someone we waited so long to meet is actually here.

I understand what you mean about feeling cautiously optimistic. Pregnancy is a very exciting time but there is so much unknown. I think every mother struggles with those feelings and we just have to keep from letting them rule our decision making. Thank God that your baby is healthy. Children are such a blessing.

I’m almost 35 weeks, and I was listening to that song on the way home from work one day this week, and started crying! I blamed it on the hormones, but I think I would have cried even if I wasn’t pregnant. Such a good song!

They make remote control blinds. That’s what I’d do with those windows.

I wonder if the loft will scare you eventually. I mean, when she’s old enough to push something up to the safety rail. I think I’d be installing something over that. Or just make it a furniture-free zone during those years.

I love that tradition! I would so start it if I hadn’t bought my daughter two swimsuits and two new pairs of Teva flip flops already this spring! And due to mom-brain, next spring I’ll forget!

Liv is so gorgeous – love those long lashes! The swimsuit is too cute; that’s fun that you’re already going to start one of your family traditions with her! And I loooove that song – actually, I love all of Christina Perri’s songs. I was just listening to her album a lot yesterday and today!

She seriously has such round, gorgeous eyes! 😉 I miss those types of kisses; so cute! I bet she smells like Heaven, too. 😉 You should look into getting blackout curtains. We got some for both kids and it has made a huge difference, especially with naps during the day. They are 4 now and still take naps and don’t get up until after 8, usually. 😉

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Your last comment about how you were afraid to bond with the baby is exactly what I’m going through now and I’ve felt like the worst mom in the world. You hear about how pregnant women bond with the baby so much when they are pregnant and I really havn’t been due to fears of something going wrong, I have been wondering if there is something wrong with me but hearing that there are other people who go through this too makes me feel 100% better! Makes me feel like I’m normal and not a horrible mom. It was also making me fear I wouldn’t bond with him once he’s born.
Thank you

I think you are right that the excessive summer sunlight will become a problem. Especially the older babies get and as they turn into toddlers, they really tend to need a very dark, quiet (and we like white noise too!) environment to get good solid sleep. I like the Eclipse brand room darkening panel curtains from Target. Bonus, they come in various fun kid colors (-:
I completely hear you on the “cautiously optimistic” thing. I know way, way, way too many horrific stories including one in my own family. And my first pregnancy was an early miscarriage which changed my assumptions forever and took away my innocence on the topic. I went on to have a perfect daughter who is almost 3 and am now pregnant with our second daughter who is due in just over a month. I STILL worry…..not constantly, but regularly. As a mama it is very, very difficult not to!

the pic of livi is so cute!! and that adorable swimsuit! i love having a little boy but i miss the cute girly clothes so i live vicariously through you. lol

when i was nursing and working out i just wore the power y tank with nursing pads and slipped the strap over my shoulder when it was time to nurse. it wasn’t a ton of support but i’m naturally (very) small-chested so i didn’t really need it even though i was huge for me. glad you finally found something that works 🙂

The windows – I have to say that black out curtains a completely dark room really helped us with naps. We already had blinds on the windows but when little one was a few months old, we added the black out curtains, and they helped her sleep longer. Any way you could cover up with the windows – blinds or something? You’d probably have to get something custom made, and it would be pricey but would probably make a big difference with Liv’s sleep patterns over the next few years – or you could move the nursery to another room once she’s out of the bassinet. I used to sleep in the guest room right next to the nursery, but when she started sleeping through the night on a regular basis, I moved back downstairs to the master, and going up to the nursery in the middle of the night is rare but still happens (hello teething!), and it wasn’t a big deal at all.

We need a new bathing suit, and so thanks for the GAP tip, and in regards to your latest post, I always checked for the dustiest side of the Dorito before putting it in my mouth. Hilarious!

Gah! She’s so cute. I’m a post behind here, but about travelling with a baby. I would say.. it’s waaay easier to do it before they can walk. From the time they can walk, until about 3 years is kind of dodgy. The main problem is, they have no developed ability to reason and haven’t learned many rules. They can break away and run. I LOST Jasmine in St Peters basilica in Rome because I was distracted for literally a second. She had gone into one of the confessionals, which is completely forbidden and I got severely told off, also she took off down the papal steps and I had to go get her… both of us in breach of some catholic rule.. aaaand, I got severely told off… again. I was already in trouble because I dropped my lens cap and by some fluke it rolled right into a prayer group. We resorted to ‘the reins’ (toddler harness) which at least prevented her getting lost, but didn’t stop her getting loud and grumpy about her lack of freedom. At least Italy is totally kid friendly, but you really have to plan your trip around kid stuff. Forget trying to stand in line for two hours to get into the Vatican or the Colesseum, for example. The best way is to take a babysitter with you. The best day we had was in the Pincio gardens (Rome) which have carousels and fountains. We let her play in the fountain seeing as it was a hundred thousand degrees. I think that’s probably totally forbidden, but we were already in so much trouble it didn’t matter..

Our master bedroom has very tall windows and hubby hates them as well. You can get made to measure blinds to order at Lowe’s or Home Depot and they are actually pretty inexpensive. But the cords would make me nervous with a little one so remote controlled may be best.

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